Author: SONIC YOUTH

Format: Remixes included

Release Date: 05-05-1998

Details: Review Packed with blank beats, squalling distortion, and ear- torturing discord, Leaves is bracing and abrasive in ways rock records rarely are. Easy listening it ain't. But neither is it much fun, and that's the problem. Although the Youth can balance consonance and dissonance to striking effect ... such slyly subverted pop is scarce. Instead, what we get are dour drones and self-indulgent noise- feats. -- Entertainment WeeklySeveral of the chugging mid-tempo songs sound like half-baked garage jams badly in need of editing.... [T]oo many tracks beg for the strong hooks and the sonic youthfulness that marked earlier releases. -- USA TodayUtilizing all manner of sound effects, from what seems like snatches of radio static and pumping steam pistons to dissonant guitar feedback, the band creates eerily hypnotic soundscapes over which [Kim] Gordon's vocals sound ethereal, angry or bemused, as if she's talking out loud during a bad dream. Moore's vocals, meanwhile, sound like those of Neil Young, whose disdain for traditional pop song structure he also seems to share. Some tracks are standouts ... and they demonstrate why this ... band has survived so long. -- People Amazon.ca The ageless Sonic Youth return with a new, yet familiar, excursion into their own particular brand of ultra-amplified, dissonant rock. The quartet's CD A Thousand Leaves evokes fond memories of yesteryear's noisy, now-classic, avant-garde approach, while retaining snippets of traditional pop elements heard on several of their previous major-label releases. As Sonic Youth's music has gained a larger audience, they've preserved doses of the crunched melody and meandering structure that has always been their trademark. The new release sounds relatively unabashed, with wandering songs like "Female Mechanic Now on Duty" spewing extended barrages of feedback and Kim Gordon's dry, unsettling scowls at the listener. Look deeper, however, and there's a quiet resonance among the racket, with tracks like "Sunday" and "Snare, Girl" making use of Thurston Moore's cooler vocal tone and jagged, cascading guitar passages. --Matthew Cooke

UPC: 720642520321

EAN: 0720642520321

Languages: English

Binding: Audio CD

Item Condition: UsedVeryGood